Bass attachment for zithers.



W. A. COPELAND.

BASS ATTACHMENT FOR ZITHERS. APPLIC'ATION HLED JAN. 17. 9.

4 1,246,058-. Patented Nov. 13, 917

I !nz/antar;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlC.

` WILLIAM A; COPELAND. BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSGNOB TO-THE PHONO- HARE' COMPANY, OF EAST BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CRPORATION-OF MAINE.

BASS ATTACHMENT ron zrrnns.

Ta all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'VVILLIAM A. Corn- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brookline, in the County of Norfolk and State of l\lassachusetts,`have invented new 'and useful Improvements in Bass Attachments for Zithers, (Case 13,) of which 'the following is a specificatiOn.

This invention relates to zithers and has for its object to provide a simple attach-` ment for use inconnection with groups of bass strings so thatr an operator can cause a selected group to sound in acconpanment to a melody produced on a group of melody e is likewise immaterial whether the melody strings are plucked by the fingers of the player or are caused to sound by the aid of hammers. As exemplifying one 'form of zither with which the attachment may be used, Fig. 1 illustrates a zither formed in the usual manner and having the apertured sounding board 5, which forms the upper wall of a hollow body. The melody strings, which are arranged to furnish either a diatonic scale of any key or a chromatic scale, are indicated at 6. The `chord strings are arranged in groups which are tuned to furnish the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords of a key, and an additional chord such for example as bass d, a, d and f# if the tonic chord be in the key of C. In fact, in an instrument having the melody strings arranged in a chromatic scale, I may employ twelve groups of chord strings arranged as described in Letters Patent to Marx No. 1,190,782, dated July 11, 1916. As indicated, however, there are four groups 7, 8, 9'and 10 of chord strings, each group eonsisting of a fundamental bass string, and three additional strings to produce a triad.

i Specificati on of Letters Patent. Patented Nov 13, 1917 Application filed January 17, 1917'. SeriaINo. 142537.

'cated at a, b, 'c and d in Fig. 1. Each bridge 11 is'preferably, thoughnot necessarily,

` formed of wood and has integral standards r 12 whchsupport it above the plane of the chord strings which'it crosses. Eachbridge or support straddles but one group of strin s, and the several groups are spaced su 1- ciently toper'nit the standards to be located between them without interfering With the vibration of the strings. The bridg'es are Secured directly to the sounding board by screws 13 at points between the ends of' the strings but p'referably near the front end of the zither. The bridges are staggered to prevent undue lateral separation of the groups of chord strings. Secured to the top of each bridge or support is a spring striker which normally occupies a position above and out of engagement with the associated strings, and which, when raised and then released, will by its resiliency and momentum descend and strike the strings therebeneath. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the striker includes a leaf spring 130 secured at one end to the bridge or support by screws 14, and at its free end to a wooden fingerpiece 15 by screws 16. The front end of the fingerpieoe is beveled on its under side, as 'at 17, and it has cemented or otherwise secured thereto a head 18 which may be made of such material as lead or wood, although 1 prefer relative-ly hard felt. The fingerpiece and the head are of sufiicient width, so that the head in its descending movement will impinge upon all' of the strings and cause them to produce their proper musical notes, simultaneously or substantially so. The leaf spring is preferably farly stiff and as wide as the fingerpiece.

In playing the instrument, the operator with the thumb of his left hand may from time to time lift and release one or the other of the hammers to produce an accompaniment to the melody played upon the scale strings.

Instead of having a separate fingerpiece, a beveled head 19 may be Secured by screws 20 to the under side of the free end of the spring, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the part 19 will serve both as a head, and also as a,

sounding board of the z'ther, eachdbrdge straddl ing a group of chord strings, and a strker carred by each brldge, each strker Consisting of a leaf spring attached at one end to the associated bridge and extending longitudinally of the strings therebeneath and normally out of contact With such "strings, and a head car-ried by. the free end of such spring jand extending transversely of the strings "of the group.

v copies of this patent may be obtained for me 'cents each, by dflressing t'' 2. The conbination 'With a z'ther having 'sp'aeed groups of chord strings, of a p1urality of bridges or supports aflixed to the s'ou'ndin board of the Zither, each bridge straddlng a group of chord strings, and a striker carried by each bridge, each striker consisting of a leaf spring attached at one end to the associated bridge and extending 'longitudinally of the strings therebeneath,

a fingerpece secured to and carred by the free end of the spring and a head on the under side of the. fingerpiece and Wide enough to impnge upon all the strings of the associated group, said head, When raised and released, being caused by the resiliency of the spring and its oWn momentum to descend and strike the chord strings therebeneath.

In testimony Whereof I have aflixed my signature.

WLLIAM A. COPELAND.

Commissioner oi' Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

